In patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), long-term data tracking surgically induced beneficial effects of afterload reduction via aortic valve replacement (AVR) on reverse LV remodeling are not available. Echocardiographic data is available short-term, but in limited fashion beyond one year. Cardiovascular MRI (CMR) offers the ability to track discrete changes in LV metrics with small numbers but high accuracy due to its inherent high spatial resolution and low variability.

We hypothesize that progressive changes following AVR are detectable by CMR and changes in LV structure and function, triggered by AVR, continue to favorably improve over an extended period following AVR.

After the initial beneficial effects imparted by AVR in severe AS patients, there are, as expected, marked improvements in LV reverse remodeling. We have shown, via CMR, that surgically induced benefits to LV structure and function, including favorable alterations in LV geometry, are durable and, unexpectedly, show continued improvement extending through 4 years post-AVR concordant with sustained improved clinical status. The pattern of this improvement is, however, previously unrecognized. Namely, a steep trajectory of improvement early in which fully 75% of the effect that was to be present by year 4 is completed within the first 6 months. Afterwards, the slope of LV remodeling is much less steep and appears to become asymptotic.